Meet The Pirates
by namiangelus
Summary: Set before Romance Dawn when Shanks comes to Luffy's town.


"What do the pirates want here?" Luffy asked the mayor.

"It's hard to tell what they're going to do. Maybe they are just stopping by and destroying a small bit of the town." Luffy looked alarmed and backed away from the docks. He didn't leave though. The whole village was at there. The ship would get a little closer and more people would leave. Finally the child was the only person standing there. Everyone had their windows closed and doors locked. Luffy didn't care what the pirates wanted with the village he wanted to see them, and he had told the whole village earlier that he would fight off the pirates. But when the ship touched shore all the boys curiosity had melted away. The only feeling he was left with was fear. He was to afraid to move.

"Yasopp is there anyone here to greet us?" A loud voice was heard over all the other ones. "Just a sec, I'll look." he saw a man look around from over the side of the ship. "Just a kid!" They slowly began climbing down from the ship. Luffy backed up as the pirates approached him. He fell back and quickly grabbed a stick that was laying near by.

"Don't touch me or, or you'll bbe ssorry." Luffys' voice began to shake with fear along with his whole body. They started to laugh at him. "I..I mmean it." He wanted to hit them with the stick but he was to terrified to try. They stood in a circle around him.

"What's going on!" Luffy looked up. _oh good someone's here to help me_. Luffy was relieved even though his face didn't show it and he didn't know who it was.

"It's the kid Cap'n. He thinks he can take us on." _So much for good. It's their captain._ Luffy thought. The man shoved past them so he was standing right in front of the scared child. Luffys' eyes swelled up with tears.

"Please don't hurt me." He tried to fight back the tears but he couldn't. Luffy was afraid that crying would show weakness. The captain looked confused.

"What makes you think we're going to hurt you?"

"Please just ruin some of the village. Don't destroy it all." Luffy obviously wasn't listening the pirate captain could tell. He could also tell that he was terribly afraid of them. His crew was still laughing.

"Shut-up guys!" the crew silenced quickly. The red head kneeled next to the crying child.

"Don't kill me! I'll do anything." He had his face hidden in his hands.

"Look kid we're not going to harm or kill you. We're not even going to destroy any of the village."

"Really?" The boy looked up at the Captain. The pirates were intimidating especially the captain. It was hard to see his eyes under the brim of his hat.

"Yeah. You want to help us find where the bar is here? You guys do have one right?" Luffy nodded and wiped his eyes and then tried to explain where it was.

"If you go that way then you.." Then he stopped talking. They didn't look like they were understanding, so he tried to explain it different. "Walk to the end of that street and.." He stopped again. "Okay. Fine I don't have any idea how to give directions. Go ahead make fun of me." The child hid his face once more.

"Well, can you walk us there?" Luffy didn't look up. This was the last thing he wanted to do, be walking around the village with a whole lot of pirates. He thought they sounded cool when he heard about them but they were terrifying in real life. "Hey kid, you in there?" Shanks poked him on the head. The man didn't seem to care that they just met. He did whatever he felt like.

"I don't know."

"Well....you know someone that **does** knows where it is?" Luffy couldn't think of anything to say. But Shanks had an idea "Kid, I think you could show us where the bar is." he nodded slightly. "Well then come on." and with saying that he lifted the child from the ground and placed him onto his shoulders. Something told him that it would make the child feel better Without even thinking about it he grabbed tightly onto the straw hat that sat on the mans' head. It began to tilt back slipping off. "Careful that things not attached to my head." Luffy put one hand on Shanks' shoulder. The captain held onto the child's legs. "Now, which way is it?" Luffy was already feeling better.

"That way." he pointed but he still talked shy and quiet.

"Alright lets go." The whole crew followed their captain. They went every way that Luffy pointed. He did make them take some unnecessary detours because he liked sitting up high even if it was on a outlaws shoulders that he didn't even know. He didn't think pirates could be this nice. They never yelled at him or even got angry despite all the pointless turns he made them take. Eventually they did make it to Party's Bar.

"Here it is." Luffy said very triumphantly smiling. He carefully took the child down and set him back on the earth.

"Thanks kid." He patted Luffys' head and turned to walk in after his crew but the child stopped him.

"You know I got a name. It's Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy!"

"Luffy, eh?" Without another word Shanks went into the bar. Luffy thought about it for I second and decided to go in too.

Shanks sat at the bar ordering a few bottles of grog. Luffy stood near Shanks. "Hey pirate captain guy, I told you my name. What's yours?" He turned his head slightly to look at the boy.

"You don't recognize me?" Luffy shook his head. "You've never seen my face on any wanted posters?" he shook his head again. Taking a large drink of grog he said "I'm Captain Red Hair Shanks." the child's face lit up.

"I know you! I've heard all about you." He began to jump up and down excitedly. "You're the guy who fought like a million Marine people!" Luffy couldn't contain himself he just told all the stories he had so fondly listened to from merchant sailors that had cross paths with Shanks. Every small tidbit of different adventures Luffy told Shanks would acknowledge with a small nod. "You know you're my hero." Shanks put down the bottle he had just tipped to drink any small remainder left. He turned his head fully to look at Luffy.

"I'm ,as in Me, am your hero?"

"Yep! I admire everything about you. Someday I'm going to be a pirate on your crew." Shanks just stared at him. He had never been a role model. How was he suppose to act? Should he keep up the same habits or change them to be a better role model?

As it got late Luffy left the bar happily. The whole crew knew his name and he got to meet his hero. Shanks made his way back to his ship. Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Cap'n!" Ben ran to catch up with Shanks. "That kid sure is fond of you." Shanks looked away.

"Did you just come here to make fun of me?" he walked faster.

"No, I was just saying. You gonna come back here?" Shanks stopped and looked at his first mate.

"You mean to the village?" Ben nodded. "I don't think so. I was just gonna have us sail more. Why would we stay here?" The captain wouldn't have said this if he had known that Luffy was standing right there.

"Oh, so your not coming back." Luffy looked at his feet and Shanks turned to see the small child holding something. He turned and began to walk back the way he had came from. He dropped the thing he was holding. It was a piece of paper with a drawing on it. There was a picture of Shanks holding a sword and standing on a pile of dead (dead as in where the eyes have x's in them and the tongues stick out.) Navy men and was suppose to be saying "I'm the best!". Shanks felt horrible. But he couldn't put his figure on the feeling because he wasn't sure why he would feel that way. Luffy was just another kid.

"Wait Luffy! You don't understand. When you're a pirate you can't just stay in a village. The navy will catch you." Luffy didn't stop or really listen to what Shanks had said. Luffy took off running into the dark. Shanks just stared where the child had disappeared from.

The next morning they left the village. Luffy had come to the docks to watch them leave but didn't say anything. For weeks after the child would go back to the docks everyday to see if new pirates would come. But everyday was the same. No pirates. No ships. The sun was setting on the sixth week. As night fell Luffy didn't leave. He felt so alone and depressed. "I don't think there coming back." A few tears slid down his face. Those short hours the pirates had spent in the village were so much fun. "Maybe I'm just super annoying like Ace said." He looked up at the night sky. Then he got up and left.

One day he was walking to the docks he saw people running back to their houses and locking the doors. Just then Ace ran up to him.

"Luffy you shouldn't go to the docks today! There's a pirate ship coming." he grabbed Luffy's hand and tried to pull his brother with him, but Luffy yanked away with a big smile on his face.

"What did the flag look like?" Ace just starred at him.

"Why do you care? Let's go!" The child ran away from his brother towards the docks again. "Wait Luffy!" Ace took off after him yelling Luffys' name.

"If your scared then go on back home." Luffy was sitting on the ground facing the ocean watching the ship come closer and closer.

"Luffy come on! Please! We don't know these pirates. There probably cutthroats they'll kill us the minute their ship touches land." Ace yelled at him trying again to pull his brother back home. Luffy shook his head laughing a little.

"No they won't. I think I know these guys." Ace took a step back when he heard the word think in that sentence.

"You just think! You're my little brother. I'm not going let you get yourself killed. With saying that he picked up Luffy. But he couldn't hold on to him very long. Luffy was struggling too much. "Fine! Be that way!" The ship was almost to shore and Ace ran away hiding behind a building. When the ship stopped the child heard a familiar "is there anyone here to greet us?" Luffy's face lit up at the sound of his hero's voice

"Shanks! I'm Here!!" before the rest of his crew Shanks climbed down from the ship.

"Hey Luffy! I got a present for you." he handed the child the thing. "Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it." It made Shanks feel good to see the child so happy.

"Wow!" The child swung the toy sword jumping up and down. "Thank you Shanks! I mean Captain." The man laughed.

"You can call me Shanks. I'm not your captain." He ruffled Luffy's hair and walked back towards the ship. The child followed him.

"What are you going to do now?" Luffy rocked on his feet.

"I don't know." Shanks began to climb back on the ship. Luffy just watched. "You coming?" the child looked up then run up to Shanks following him again.

"Hi there Luffy!" All the crew waved and greeted him.

"Hi guys!" The child did the same back to all of them not missing one pirate. "Look what Shanks got me!" He held the toy sword out and swung it wildly.

"Calm down Luffy." Shanks put his hand on Luffy's shoulder causing him to turn his head. Just then Luffy hugged the captain around the legs. He only could looked surprised at this.

"Thanks for coming back." Shanks pulled away the child's hands and kneeled so he could be more at his level. Then Shanks wrapped his arms around Luffy, but only for a second.

"Sure Kid." Then he smirked. "Hey Luffy, I got a question for you." Luffy nodded and stared at him. "Are you ticklish." With saying that he picked up the child and tickled. He wanted to break that sentimental moment. Luffy laughed. And tried to speak.

"Ye.. Hahaha..yes haha!" He tried to playfully fight off Shanks but couldn't stop him.

From the distance Ace couldn't tell if Luffy was crying or laughing. His little brother had this thing that made it hard to tell. Not knowing what to do Ace ran to get the mayor. Hoping he would tell the pirates off.

After a few seconds he then released Luffy from his hold and stood up. Luffy had finally felt comfortable around the man."Come on guys." Shanks put Luffy on his shoulders again. Then they all got off the ship and saw Ace and the mayor. "Can I help you?" The captain looked down at the boy and the short man.

"Shanks! Shanks! That's my brother!" Luffy bounced a little and pointed at Ace. Shanks tilted his head back slightly, to see the little boy on his shoulders.

"Well hi ya, Luffy's brother. Who's the man?" He waved quickly and took hold of the child's leg again. The mayor tried to look tough.

"What do want with Luffy? You better let him go or I'll call the navy." Luffy waved his hands and shook his head.

"No! No! No! NO! Shanks is my friend. See he gave me this, and he lets me ride on his shoulders." Ace didn't look convinced, so he ordered Luffy.

"Get down Luffy and come back home!"

"Ace I don't want to." Luffy whined and tightened his hands around Shanks's head.

"Ace, is it? Well anyway, can't Luffy just hang out with us a little?" He treated the boy like a he had some kind of authority. "I'll take good care of him." The captain continued to smile. Then the mayor decided to cut in.

"You have to let the child go." Then it hit Shanks he didn't have listened to what the mayor. He was a pirate. Since when did he listen to any law officer. "Put him down NOW!" Shanks reached down and patted the mayor on his short little head.

"Luffy wants to hang out with us. He's a cool kid." All the pirates walked away leaving the mayor and Ace just standing there confused.

"Yeah! You're the coolest Shanks!" Luffy yelled punching his fist into the air.


End file.
